Bosnia is the perfect place for a winter adventure and where better to start than Sarajevo, the host city of the 1984 Winter Olympics. The wild and remote mountain ranges surrounding Bosnia's capital are ideal for adventurous exploration. Climbing through pine forests we follow crystal-clear streams to glacial lakes, frozen waterfalls and snow-covered summits. With sightseeing in Sarajevo itself and an opportunity to visit the famous city of Mostar, this fascinating country will not disappoint.

Itinerary

2Day 2Transfer 1.5 hours to Umoljani Village on the Olympic mountain of Bjelasnica. Snowshoe to Visocica Mountain and Crveni Kuk Peak (1733m).

Transfer 1.5 hours to Umoljani village on the Olympic mountain of Bjelasnica. Winding through Bjelasnica's back roads we'll reach the Rakitnica River and cross over towards Visocica Mountain. Tucked in the hills just above the ridged walls of this mountain sits Sinanovici Village (1,250m). The walk up will take us through beech forest and then open rocky terrain up to the summit of Crveni Kuk Peak (1,733m). You will be rewarded with far reaching views of the highest mountains in Bosnia & Herzegovina, as well as those in neighbouring Montenegro. We overnight in Umoljani.
Distance: 10km / Altitude gain 550m, loss 550m / Time 5-6hrsSee more images and videos

3Day 3Snowshoeing around the villages of Umoljani and Gradina, including the cascades of Studeni Potok, Rakitnica Canyon and Saruk Peak (1828).

This morning we start snowshoeing directly from our pension around the villages of Umoljani and Gradina. From the traditional style Bosnian mosque in the village of Umoljani we'll trek to the watermills and beautiful source used for centuries as energy to grind wheat into flour. We hug the ridge until Rakitnica Canyon opens up before us. After 45 minutes of an uphill through thick snow we reach the Cascades of Studeni Potok. Here, at certain times of the year, the stream falls in numerous cascades into Rakitnica River, more than 300 metres below. Following the stream up we hit Studeno Polje (Field) and the serpentine formations of Studeni Potok (Stream). Here we'll have a super view of Obalj and the long flat valley of Studeno Polje (Fields). The shepherd’s summer village of Gradina is just up the road and and from here we will slowly ascend today’s peak, Saruk (1,828m) where we will take our lunch break. From here we will return through “back door” to Umoljani village for another great night sleep and homemade dinner.
Distance 12km Altitude gain 450m, loss 450m | Time 6-7hrsSee more images and videos

4Day 4Ascend to a spectacular ridge with views across to Montenegro, continue to Babin Do ski resort.

Leaving Umoljani Village we snowshoe toward Babin Do, the main ski resort on this mountain. An ascent to the saddle right above Stirna Lokva offers extraordinary views of the mountains of Treskavica and Visocica and on a clear day the towering mountains on the Montenegrin border are often visible. On the way to Stirna Lokva we enjoy a nice picnic and a hot tea or coffee. We'll hike around the eastern ridge to the open valley on the opposite side of Belasnica's highest peak, arriving at the Babin Do ski resort. A very short transfer (15mins) takes us to our accommodation on the neighbouring Olympic Mountain, Igman. This area has an interesting micro climate caused by the particular relief of the area, with natural sinkholes and distinctive mountains and vegetation. Bosnia's lowest ever January temperature was recorded here, a chilly -43 degrees C. This isn't the norm, but it can get very cold here so it's worth packing a few extra layers!
Distance: 8km / Altitude gain 150m, loss 350m / Time 5-6hrs.See more images and videos

5Day 5Walk through spruce and fir forest to a mountain hut on Igman Mountain, descend to Hrasnica. Overnight in Sarajevo.

A beautiful spruce and fir forest trail takes us towards a wonderful mountain hut, hidden deep in the thick forests of Igman Mountain. In an hour or so we reach the hut, rest and refill our water bottles with fresh spring water. After a pleasant break we continue north, down into the valley of Sarajevo city. After some two hours of fairly steep descent, we reach a plateau with views over the city in the distance. We finish this beautiful and fairly straightforward walk in Hrasnica, a suburb of the city of Sarajevo. A short 20 minute transfer will take us to our accommodation in the Old Town.
Distance: 6.5km / Altitude gain 200m, loss 800m / Time 4-5hrs.See more images and videos

6Day 6Free day to explore the fascinating city of Sarajevo, or for an optional visit to the city of Mostar with its famous old bridge.

Free day to explore the fascinating city of Sarajevo or for an optional visit to the city of Mostar with its famous old bridge. Mostar was founded in the 15th century and well worth a visit. The architecture is a combination of Turkish ingenuity and Herzegovinian and Dalmatian workmanship. Many people will have heard a great deal about this city, which was split during the conflict in the early 1990s. You will still see the scars of war, but these days Mostar is a warm and bustling place with a fascinating history.See more images and videos

Today we snowshoe on Trebevic Olympic Mountain, a popular route that provides views back over Sarajevo on a clear day.
We take the back road to Jahorina via Vraca to Brus, where we park our vehicle and start our 500 metre ascent to the peak of Trebevic (1,629 metres). Our walk takes us along a long and winding mountain trail. Although we will be traveling most of the way through pine and spruce covered forests you will be treated occasionally to beautiful views of surrounding mountains.
From the summit there are wonderful views of the surrounding towns and villages, as well as mountains of Romanija, Maglić, Volujak, Zelengora, Lelija, Treskavica, Visočica, Prenj, Čvrsnica, including our previous two destinations Olympic Mountains Bjelašnica & Igman.
We descend via an alternative shorter trail to the mountain hut where we take a break for some hot tea, cocoa or even a cold beer.
Distance: 10km / Altitude gain 600m, loss 550m / Time 6-7hrs.See more images and videos

Your images

Adult Group

This is a small group adult holiday. The group is usually between 4 and 16 in size, with an average of 12 like-minded clients booking individually, in a couple or as friends together.

Activity level

You are moderately fit and have an interest in remote or challenging environments. Some previous experience is required for activity based trips.

What's included

What's included

All breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners

All accommodation (see below)

All transport and listed activities

Tour leader throughout

Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)

Snowshoes and poles

What's not included

Travel insurance

Single accommodation (available on request)

Visas or vaccinations

Accommodation details

Hotel & Pensions

We spend a total of four nights in the friendly pension Kandilj, located next to the Old town of Sarajevo, where all rooms are en suite.
We stay two nights in a traditional mountain hut in the village of Umoljani, heated by wood-burning stoves. The hut has shared toilets and showers and 3-4 person rooms.
Our final night in the mountains is in Hostel Feri, a newly rebuilt mountain chalet with en suite rooms situated close to the ski lifts of the Olympic resort of Igman.

Single rooms are available for a supplement of £90 (US$150). Please note that this is only for the 4 nights in Kandilj, single rooms are not available in the mountain huts.

Essential info

Vaccinations and Visa
No visa required for British passport holders.
There are no specific health risks. Holiday style

The difficulty of this trip depends very much on the snow conditions, and our final route will be dictated by the conditions, although in general you should expect the following:

Activitly level: 5
Altitude gain: between 200-600 metres ascent on most days. Some of the ascents are quite steep, snowshoes can be removed if necessary. Walking time will usually be around four to six hours walking, plus photo, lunch and snack breaks; the longest day is up to 8 hours. Distance walked: averages about 7 kms (4.5 miles) but will feel longer in the snow.
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Eating & drinking

All breakfasts, 5 picnic lunches and 3 dinners are included on this trip.

Typical Meals:
Breakfast will usually be a choice between hot and cold buffet.
Lunches will be picnics and may include bread, cheese, sausage, meat or vegetarian pate, salad, chocolate bars, cookies, trail mix, etc.

Evening meals usually include a soup, selection of traditionally prepared meat, vegetables and a dessert. Vegetarian and special diets can be catered for, but options are limited throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina - please inform the office of any specific requirements upon booking.

Trip notes

Download the detailed trip notes for everything you could possibly want to know about this trip, including
detailed itinerary and full kit list

Weather & seasonality

Bosnia & Herzegovina enjoys a similar climate to most of central Europe - hot summers, cool springs and autumns and cold winters with considerable snowfall. We visit from February to March, when temperatures will be generally cold (4 to -5degC), but these temperatures will be much lower (-5 to -15degC) in the mountains. Snow can fall at any time during this period, but that does not mean it's extreme during this time of the year. On the contrary, expect beautiful spells of sunny weather in the mountains which can make the temperature feel very pleasant.

Gallery

Reviews & community

We had a great holiday - in spite of the extreme weather conditions which meant that the itinerary had to be re-scheduled somewhat - I've never seen quite so much snow! The countryside was beautiful, the Bosnian people seem warm and friendly and with so much unknown history and culture, it was an extremely interesting place to visit.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

The most thought-provoking, was standing outside the Catholic Cathedral in Sarajevo and learning that this had been a sniper hotspot, where many had been killed and wounded during the war - it makes things far more real to actually be there.

The most surreal moments, were having a taste of white-out conditions, walking in a snow blizzard and realising you really can see nothing, but you know that people are walking right in front of you!

The moments that will always make me smile, were coming in from the cold to a log fire in a mountainside house, where we enjoyed a local cuppa with chunks of chocolate, whilst being introduced to a range of Bosnian/Balkan folk music styles (and a bit of the Beatles thrown in on the side)!

The most heart-warming moments were everyone's kindness when I wasn't well on our last walk out, so a big thank you to my fellow travellers, our super guides and all the residents at our lunch stop mountain hut/house.

What did you think of your group leader?

Our two group leaders were excellent. Knowledgeable, friendly, well organised. I think the constant need to re-organise and change plans would have made our week particularly tricky and they did an exceptional job under the circumstances, in far from ideal conditions.

The mini-van driver was also very good in very difficult winter conditions - he got us delivered and collected safely every time!

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Bosnia doesn't have an indoor smoking ban, so attitudes and ideas around smoking are quite different to the UK- whilst the guides can help in the guest houses, etc., out in restaurants and public places its something you have to put up with.

The weather adds the element that gets this trip into the challenging category. Even with appropriate clothing and doing some good exercise it was extremely cold and it can take a while to get warm (if you tend to be one of those people who feels the cold more than others)!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Overall a great holiday, with lovely fellow travellers and excellent guides. Only a couple of things I can think of that might have improved things a little.

It would have been good to know that Sarajevo currently shuts the drinking water supply off over night to conserve water. It caught us out when we arrived late at night and had to leave early morning. Just knowing to fill up water bottles in advance, so you can clean teeth or get a drink would have been handy!

I know things were rather in flux due to the weather, but it might have been good if Exodus could have let us know that the first stay in the 'mountain hut' was definitely off in advance. I think some people wouldn't have taken sleeping bags out with them if they had known they had, in effect, become an optional item. (I believe the decision was made a few days before we left, so an email might have been possible)?

A week before we set out we wondered if it would happen because of too much snow, but it did and we had a great time. It wasn't possible to do the itinerary as planned because of the amount of snow but the leaders always had good alternatives to ensure we could enjoy the trip.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Visits to the frozen waterfall and the mountain village.

Seeing all that snow!

What did you think of your group leader?

2 leaders, Samer & Lorenc. Both were excellent with a wide knowledge of their country and an eagerness to share it with us. They were well prepared for all eventualities and made sure we had a great experience.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Go. Walking through pristine snow is magical and the people and hospitality are excellent. You will probably have an easier time than we did as the amount of snow was exceptional this year but be prepared for things to be changed if the weather dictates it. The experience will still be great.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Don't be put off by the previous negative history of the area, it's a friendly place to be.

A love of cycling from an early age meant that Andy was always destined to travel. This began with cycling to and from school, followed by a misspent youth racing BMX bikes. The distances have increased a little since then, culminating with two 4000+ mile rides around the States and Mexico. Five years leading cycling, trekking and snowshoe trips for Exodus enabled him to travel much further afield and this experience is put to good use in his current role managing the short haul Product team.

Questions about your trip

Pick your question

What are the winter pensions like in Bosnia?

Over the week, we spend a total of four nights in the friendly pension Kandilj, located next to the old town of Sarajevo, where all rooms are en suite. We stay in traditional mountain huts in the village of Umoljani and Prokosko Lake, which are heated by wood-burning stoves. The huts have shared toilets and showers inside the house and we usually share 3-4 person rooms. Our final night in the mountains is in Hostel Feri, a newly rebuilt mountain chalet with en suite rooms situated close to the ski lifts of the Olympic resort of Igman.

Danuta Janik - Customer Operations

How should I take my money?

Sterling cash is best, and just change it locally when you arrive. You can arrange some local currency in advance but there is really no need and no advantage in doing so. ATMs are widely available as well, in case you need to top up towards the end of the trip!

Danuta Janik - Customer Operations

Can you guarantee good snow for walking?

Even well established ski resorts have trouble guaranteeing good snow conditions throughout the season, but we have the great advantage that we can operate in a variety of snow conditions which skiers might find difficult. There is generally good snow cover throughout our snowshoeing season, but at times we may have days when we will be walking below the snowline. In light snow conditions you might expect to begin walking with your snowshoes strapped to your pack, then stop to put them on as we reach more consistent snow-cover. Usually April departures may be spring-like, with snow on the top, and wild flowers appearing at lower levels, although recent years have had late heavy snowfalls.

Danuta Janik - Customer Operations

Snowshoeing articles

Sue Weatherby, one of our clients, travelled on an Exodus showshoeing trip and you can read her article to get a personal viewpoint of the activity.

What kind of boots do I need for snowshoeing?

You should take waterproof walking boots or insulated boots with good ankle support. Snow shoes can be adjusted to fit any size boot, so you shouldn't have any problems.

Rachel George - Customer Operations

Exodus staff - expertise on hand to help

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